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Getting a Sense for Numbers [Premium]

Getting a Sense for Numbers [Premium]

by | Dec 6, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

For many, math is a somewhat mysterious subject. From an early age, some students may stand out from others in their mathematical ability whereas others don’t and some may seem to have bewildering difficulty with even basic aspects of numbers and math quantity. The last decade has seen significant advances in our understanding of individual learning differences when it comes to math. If you are a teacher, tutor, or parent working with a student with math challenges, understanding the basic extent of the difficulty will help guide you about knowing how to help.   POOR NUMBER SENSE Poor number sense is a problem noticed at the very start when children begin working with numbers and quantities. A student may memorize how to count (“1,2,3,4…”), but […]

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Writing: How to Start [Premium]

Writing: How to Start [Premium]

by | Dec 5, 2021 | , , , , , ,

WRITING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TROUBLE STARTING Dyslexic writers who have difficulty beginning to write often suffer from knowing too much and not too little. There will be challenges of spelling and putting ideas into words, but more often there are larger structural issues like how do I narrow what I know so that I can write what is being asked of me and where do I start with what I want to say? For students who may sit with a blank piece of paper or blinking cursor for hours, having a template for responses, developing a keyword approach like the semantic map in the previous article or mind-mapping big ideas may be a way to get the writing process started.   PRE-WRITING TEMPLATES Being […]

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Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) and Its Impact on Dyslexia [Premium]

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) and Its Impact on Dyslexia [Premium]

by | Dec 2, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

“Substantial evidence shows that dyslexic readers have problems with rapid naming of visual items. Early research assumed that this was a consequence of phonological processing deficits, but recent findings suggest that non-phonological processes may lie at the root of the association between slow naming speed and poor reading. The hypothesis that rapid naming reflects an independent core deficit in dyslexia is supported by the main findings: (1) some dyslexics are characterized by rapid naming difficulties but intact phonological skills; (2) evidence for an independent association between rapid naming and reading competence in the dyslexic readers, when the effect of phonological skills was controlled; (3) rapid naming and phonological processing measures are not reliably correlated. “ – Araujo et al. 2011   Rapid automatized naming or […]

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Dyslexic Mathematicians: Paradoxes and Insights [Premium]

Dyslexic Mathematicians: Paradoxes and Insights [Premium]

by | Dec 1, 2021 | , , , , , ,

“The life narratives of these research mathematicians describe a non-direct pathway to becoming a research mathematician. They describe barriers that could have limited their process, such as calculus focused on memorization, or classes such as organic chemistry focused on memorization. All participants noted that they moved forward in mathematics once they reached a place in which they were fascinated by the problems, most often, a visual-spatial set of problems to solve.” – Lambert and Harriss, 2020   I recently had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Rachel Lambert at the University of Santa Barbara. Her paper with dyslexic mathematician Dr. Edmund Harriss begins with the following bold abstract: “Using neurodiversity as our theoretical framework, rather than a deficit or medical model, we analyze the narratives […]

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George Church: Genomics Pioneer [Premium]

George Church: Genomics Pioneer [Premium]

by | Dec 1, 2021 | , , , , ,

“Your genetics is not your destiny.” – George Church     Harvard Professor George Church was shaking things up 3 decades ago when he fathered the human genome project and put himself first in line to have his genome sequenced. The world knows a lot about him, including his dyslexia, narcolepsy, blood type, and even colonoscopy. He argued that the benefits of sharing personal information outweighed privacy concerns. “It’s all too easy to dismiss the future. People confuse what’s impossible today with what’s impossible in the future.” – George Church   George Church has done a lot of controversial things in his life and he’s continuing to do them, but what is not in doubt now is that he is at the center of some […]

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Dyslexia and Dyscalculia [Premium]

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia [Premium]

by | Nov 17, 2021 | , , , , , ,

How often do individuals with dyslexia also have dyscalculia, a specific disability in math? As many as 30-70% of dyslexic students may also be dyscalculic, but math difficulties are rarely tested for in schools, so specific needs for a particular student are rarely recognized or addressed. It does not help that like dyslexia itself, dyscalculia can also present in different ways among dyslexic individuals. DYSLEXICS USE DIFFERENT BRAIN AREAS WHILE PERFORMING MATH PROBLEMS It was only in 2014 when neuroscientists found that dyslexic students doing simple math problems (addition and subtraction) us different brain areas to solve answers…in particular right parietal regions instead of left perisylvian areas which non-dyslexics use. In our practice, when we performed comprehensive testing, we used The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test or […]

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Storytelling in Math for Dyslexia [Premium]

Storytelling in Math for Dyslexia [Premium]

by | Nov 17, 2021 | , , , , ,

In our book, The Dyslexic Advantage, storytelling is a strength that we discovered after all our in-depth interviews and study of dyslexic people. Cultivation of this super power might seem obvious for creative writing or entrepreneurship or other aspect of workplace role, but it should also be used and developed in subjects like math.   I remember talking with a middle grade student who was having troubles in math. I asked her if she was having trouble with word problems because the reading challenges are greater with these types of problems. “No,” she said. In fact, she found that word problems were the easiest – it was the straight number problems that were the most difficult. Dr. Candace Walkington has been on a quest to […]

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Remote Work Hacks [Premium]

Remote Work Hacks [Premium]

by | Nov 9, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

“I’ve found that a single screen feels very restrictive to me. I normally have three screens since I jump between tasks a lot. Many neurodiverse people like myself find it difficult to stay focused on one thing for very long. Having my work “scattered” around on different screens feels sort of like having papers all over a desk; I can pick up pieces in parallel without the need to stop and start what I’m doing. Basically, being able to easily move between the different things helps me find a flow. “ — John Abel, Technical Director, Google   MULTIPLE SCREENS If you spend a good deal of your time working on a computer, you may find that adding a screen (or even more than one […]

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Eugene Matusov on Teaching and Motivation [Premium]

Eugene Matusov on Teaching and Motivation [Premium]

by | Nov 9, 2021 | , , , , , , , , , ,

I recently discovered Eugene Matusov’s writings on motivation and agency. He is a professor at the University of Delaware and he is also dyslexic.   I found it interesting that he ended up choosing a career teaching other teachers and yet his early years seem to be fairly traumatic in school. He had some very bad learning experiences, but also good ones, and it’s clear that today, he remembers the good teachers that impacted his life and that the choices he made in his own career were influenced as much by the negative experiences as the positives. One negative experience that was shared involved a writing assignment that many of us are all-too-familiar with – “What I Did Over Summer Vacation.” Listen to Eugene tell […]

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Dyslexia and Motivation [Premium]

Dyslexia and Motivation [Premium]

by | Nov 9, 2021 | , , , , ,

“Self-esteem and motivation are important in a child with dyslexia. It is important that they not feel like a failure just because their mind thinks in a different way. It is important to understand what dyslexia is in order to be able to understand the importance of motivation in a dyslexic child… A personal note – This is a very personal topic for me because I am dyslexic…nobody recognized that I had dyslexia until I was in college… I had gone through school thinking I was dumb…” — Dr. Eugene Matusov   INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION One popular way of looking at motivation is to consider that there are intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. An intrinsic reward tends to be internal – something that is rewarding for […]

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Dyslexia and Accelerated Reader [Premium]

Dyslexia and Accelerated Reader [Premium]

by | Nov 7, 2021 | , , , , , , ,

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a popular computer-based reading program. It does not remediate students with dyslexia. It just offers books at different levels and nudges students to an “appropriate level of challenge,” in addition to offering comprehension tests to check understanding and quantitative information for parents and teachers in the process. The promises of AR are attractive and at least some studies show improved reading of groups of students (some studies show no increase and decreased motivation). Because some classes celebrate high AR point scorers, it should not be surprising that lower scorers are less happy, have lower esteem, and become dis-incentivized to read for pleasure. AR goals are individualized and the AR company does not encourage open competition or achievement-related rewards, but all these […]

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The Strange Case of Reading Small Words [Premium]

The Strange Case of Reading Small Words [Premium]

by | Nov 7, 2021 | , , , ,

A parent may notice it first in a beginning reader or an adult who finds it exasperating when trying read aloud – why is it that the “small words” are so easy to skip or misread? It is a sign of dyslexia?   The skipping or misreading of small words can be associated with dyslexia, but can also be unrelated.   ONE POSSIBILITY VISUAL TRACKING AND “READING TOO FAST” Developmental optometrists have frequently identified visual tracking abnormalities and convergence insufficiency in school age dyslexic children. This does not mean that visual issues cause dyslexia – they just suggest that they may commonly be found in this group of child and therefore contribute to word or line skips. Students who feel pressured to read fast may […]

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